Chapter 2

The next day, after Rylen left for work, I followed not long after.

When I arrived, Kristen Horn, Rylen's secretary, looked surprised. "Mrs. Huff, what brings you here? Mr. Huff is in a meeting right now—"

I interrupted her, coldly asking, "Which department is Jane in?"

Kristen paused for a moment before quickly replying, "She's in the finance department."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

After the pantry incident, Rylen told me he had transferred Jane to the company's least significant department to get back at her for me.

Realizing how naive I had been, I gave a self-mocking smile.

Neither Rylen, who had known Jane since childhood, nor Eddy, my wealthy ex, would let her suffer.

At that thought, I didn't say anything more. I just turned and walked straight toward the finance department.

As I reached the door, I overheard a burst of laughter inside. "No way! Jane, you're pregnant?"

Standing at the doorway, I chuckled. "What a coincidence."

The moment I spoke, the office fell silent. Everyone turned to look at me.

Jane's smile froze. She was clearly surprised by my sudden appearance.

Ignoring her, I signaled for Theo to distribute the gift boxes I brought. "These are for you all. I came here today to share some good news."

I gently touched my belly and smiled. "I'm two months pregnant."

The office erupted in congratulatory cheers.

Jane took a box and gave me a smile, but I caught the brief flash of mockery in her eyes.

At that moment, Rylen rushed in. He was breathing a bit heavily, clearly in a hurry. "Why did you come here all of a sudden?"

He was asking me, but his gaze kept flickering to Jane. Their gazes met briefly in the air before snapping away just as quickly.

I acted as if I hadn't seen anything. I turned back to Rylen with a smile. "I'm just bringing gifts for the staff and sharing the good news."

Rylen paused, then pulled me into his arms and smiled down at me in a way that was almost too affectionate.

"Just ask Theo to do it. Your body's weak. Don't go running around. You might harm the baby."

The moment he finished speaking, I noticed Jane's smile fade a little.

I took the opportunity to slip my arm around Rylen's and leaned against him in the most intimate way possible. "Okay, honey. I won't do it again."

Rylen stiffened for a second but still wore that smile.

Later that evening, he took me to a restaurant downstairs. During dinner, he seemed distracted. His gaze constantly drifted to his phone.

When he stepped away to use the restroom, I seized the chance to grab his phone.

Sure enough, he was messaging Jane.

Jane wrote. "You two looked pretty cozy this afternoon. You're not actually falling for her, are you? Don't forget. She almost stole my boyfriend! Clare Bender is a straight-up bitch!"

Rylen replied, "Don't worry. How could I fall for someone you hate? I'm with her just to avenge you. And I'm only doing this to make sure she has the baby."

I thought I was prepared for this, but seeing those words still felt like someone had torn my heart out. The pain seeped down to my stomach.

When Rylen returned and saw my pale face and the sweat on my forehead, his expression shifted instantly.

Before I could say anything, he scooped me up into his arms and rushed straight to the parking lot.

But we didn't expect to run into Eddy, who was there to pick up Jane after work.

The moment they laid eyes on each other, their faces all paled.

Jane, in particular, lunged forward almost instantly. Her voice cracked as she asked, "What's wrong with her? She seemed fine this afternoon. What happened?"

Eddy stepped forward, panicked. "Don't just stand there. Take her to the hospital!"

I lay in Rylen's arms, clearly seeing the flash of jealousy in his eyes.

At that moment, I couldn't help but feel a bitter irony inside me.

When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor quickly finished his examination. "She's fine. It's just emotional stress. She just needs to rest for a while."

Emotional stress?

But Rylen didn't dwell on it. After all, it was normal for a pregnant woman to have mood swings.

After leaving the doctor's office, Rylen asked about all the necessary precautions and diligently wrote them down.

He then called Theo over and gave him a stern order. "Arrange for a few bodyguards to stay with Clare. Nothing like today's incident can happen again."

After that, he finally walked into the ward and sat by my bedside. "You really scared me today."

I asked softly, "But the baby's fine, right?"

My casual tone seemed to unsettle him. Frowning, he said seriously, "But I can't afford the risk of losing it. Clare, you know how hard it was for you to get pregnant with this child."

I knew all too well. No one knew better than me what it felt like to endure 99 painful egg retrievals with a 12-inch needle.

Just then, my phone rang. The nurse's voice came through. "Ms. Bender, I wanted to confirm the time for your abortion appointment the day after tomorrow."

I paused for two seconds before replying softly, "The first session in the morning."

Just after hanging up, Rylen frowned. "First session? Are you going somewhere?"

I looked up at him and replied calmly, "It's nothing. A new movie is being released, and I want to catch the first show."

Rylen's frown deepened. "You're still weak. You shouldn't be going out right now."

Smiling, I looked at him. "Well, I can't just stay cooped up at home all the time. If you're really worried, you can come with me."

As soon as I said that, Rylen was about to agree, but in the next heartbeat, he hesitated.

"I have an important meeting the day after tomorrow. Theo will go with you."

I nodded, saying nothing more. I knew the day after tomorrow was Jane's birthday.